Yankee Springs Campground

Wednesday

We were up by 6 am. There was a lot of odds and ends we had to do before Rose left for the airport at noon. We had got in too late to do them the night before. We both wanted to go through our gear and get rid of anything we hadn’t used. I also needed to go through the food bags so I had food with me. Usually Rose carries most the food and I carry the cooking equipment. Neither one of us had slept good and we were both tired. The poor nights sleep had nothing to do with our room or bed. It was a great stay and our host Claire was awesome. Claire had to leave around 8:00 am. So we were trying to be ready to leave by then as well. Claire said we could stay as long as we needed, but I thought it was more polite to leave before her so she didn’t have to spend her time wondering if we remembered to lock up her house. After all of her kindness it was the least we could do. With Rose’s bike safely in the garage we walked to a nearby park to make coffee and spend some time together before Rose had to leave for the airport. I was going to make coffee but forgot to fill my water bottles before we left. No water no coffee!😫😭. Rose received an email about getting $450 in flight vouchers if she was willing to change her flight. The email didn’t give any details so she left early to find out about that. She called for an Uber around 10am. We were close enough to the airport that it was only an $11 ride. After walking her to the car I sat back down at a picnic table to plan the next few days.

I decided to head out of town to a state park about 25 miles away. Yankee Springs Campground. I had heard some good things about it and I was told it had specific hiker/biker campsites. Hiker/biker sites are often one large group site that all cyclist and backpackers share. Usually there is multiple picnic tables and fire rings and the campsite itself is in an area that is less desirable or impossible to get a vehicle into. Because of these things the price is often less then half of a regular site. For Hikers and Bikers, price is often the most important factor when choosing a campsite! Another compelling reason to head that direction was that a coffee shop was along the route only 5 miles away. I wasted no time in getting there!

Biggby coffee is a Michigan company. Rosie and I where pretty desperate by the time we arrived. The latte was amazing and so was the coffee flavored muffin. I was happy that it came in aluminum foil. I unwrapped it very gently so I could reuse the foil for cooking at a later date. They were kind enough to fill up my water bottle with water and ice.

I was on a bike path for about 10 miles. It was nice after being in the city.

The day was getting pretty hot and I was looking forward to hanging my hammock up in the shade. I got in around 2 o’clock

After hanging my hammock I made a quick lunch out snack bars. I thought I might take a nap but just read for a while instead. I started getting hungry again around 5. I rode up to a little meat market grocery store and bought milk broccoli and a smoked pork chop. I had taken the bread from Rose’s pannier so I had a couple slices of that too.

I tried to stay awake until Rose was safely done traveling for the night. She had two layovers and didn’t arrive in Tallahassee until 11:30pm. Then she had to get her jeep out of storage and drive to her friend’s house where she was sleeping. I made it until 1 am but then fell asleep.

Thursday 8-17

I was up by 6 and made coffee. It was a beautiful cool morning. I looked at maps to find someplace to ride to. Nothing seemed to excite me too much so I decide to just stay put and get my site for another night. I did the weekly maintenance on my bike and worked on a few little things. Mostly I just relaxed though. In the afternoon I rode down to Gun Lake to swim. I found a little spot I had all to myself. I was surprised how shallow it was. I walked probably 300 yards from shore and it was still only waist deep. I would of walked farther but the bottom changed from sand to mud. I enjoyed the water though.

It was a very enjoyable but uneventful day. I hadn’t eaten anything and was getting pretty hungry. I rode back to the grocery store and bought a half pound of hamburger. Ground round to be exact. On the ride back to camp I had to play Tom T Hall’s song Ode To Half a Pound of Ground Round. I know I probably say this about a thousand artist, but Tom T Hall is one of my favorite singers. I was finished dinner and in my hammock before the mosquitos came out for the night.

Today Friday

I was awakened at quarter till 6 by rain. I rarely use my rainfly unless I think its going to rain. I jumped up and decided to pack up instead of put the fly on. It ended up only being a 3 minute shower. I was packed but sat down to make coffee. I lollygagged until 9 then headed out. I was headed back to Grand Rapids hoping to find a stealth site near the airport. Rose will be flying in at 10 am tomorrow. The Warmshower host, Claire is going to pick her up at the airport. Also my Mom mailed our first mail drop to Claire. So our plan is Claire is picking up Rose at the airport and taking her back to her bike and our box of food. Rose will load up and come find me. I will be close. We will need to go through the box and divide up the weight. We are not planning on riding much tomorrow. Rose has to be up at 3 am to catch her flight. I hope to have found a nice stealth campsite close so she only has to ride a few miles. We may end up at a motel. We will see. Going through gear and repacking can make a mess. We didnt feel right doing it at Claire’s house.

Today has been mostly road riding.

It was hot when I was between cornfields. The corn was tall enough to block any breeze. It was enjoyable but a bit monotonous without Rose for company. Normally on a day like this I would put on an audio book. I love to read but also enjoy listening too. Usually with an audio book I choose one that I would probably get bored with if I was reading it. My last few I listened to were The Power Of Habit, The Go Giver, The Secret, Bicycling with Butterflies and The Outlaw Ocean. All very good books. Right now I can’t seem to find one to download though. Does anyone have a recommendation? You can let me know in the comments or email me mattgcastle81@gmail.com Thanks!

It wasn’t all boring though. I saw Sandhill Cranes in Alfafa fields several times. I was really surprised to see them in a Michigan hay field. I made a note to Google them when I get the chance.